The Kentucky High School Athletic Association has added four new schools beginning with the 2020-21 season with three of the schools making the jump from the Kentucky Christian Athletic Association.
In a unanimous vote with no discussion, the KHSAA Board of Control voted to accept the membership applications of North Hardin Christian, Somerset Christian, Trinity Christian in Lexington, and Foundation Christian Academy in Bowling Green.
North Hardin Christian was formerly a KHSAA member over a decade ago but opted out and joined the KCAA where they won three straight state softball titles from 2016-18.
Somerset Christian indicated they will participate in nine sports at the KHSAA level after enjoying a high level of success in the KCAA. Somerset Christian is the two-time KCAA boys’ basketball state champion and won eight straight KCAA state soccer titles from 2011-18. The volleyball program won three straight KCAA state championships from 2011-13.
Somerset Christian had an enrollment of 89 kids in 2019-20.
Trinity Christian said they will compete in seven different sports at the KHSAA level with a 2019-20 enrollment of 90. Trinity Christian won three straight KCAA girls’ basketball state tournaments from 2017-19 and won a pair of state soccer titles in 2008 and 2010.
The volleyball program won four straight KCAA state titles from 2016-19.
Those three schools join Highlands Latin and Danville Christian in making the jump from the KCAA to the KHSAA in the past two years.
Foundation Christian Academy in Bowling Green had 22 kids in grades 9-10 last year and will offer a K-12 curriculum for the first time in 2020-21. The school indicated they will compete in seven different sports and will also compete in the Fourth Region All-A Classic.
The loss of Somerset Christian and North Hardin Christian makes travel for the westernmost KCAA schools such as Heritage Christian Academy even longer in 2020-21. HCA usually travels to Louisville and Lexington some weekends to play multiple games against the schools in those areas without some of those schools reciprocating a return trip to Hopkinsville.
HCA Athletic Director Candy Hayes has said that travel options will have to be explored for the 2020-21 athletic seasons due to COVID-19 and lack of KCAA schools in western Kentucky. HCA can schedule games against schools in the Kentucky Christian Athletic Conference. However, the KHSAA does not allow their schools to play regular-season games against Kentucky schools that are not a member of the KHSAA.
